Accused, Chavismo intimidates Juan Guaidó and intensifies repression of the press – 31/01/2019

Nicolás Maduro's government is frightened by the popular rebellion – which is growing more and more every day -, by mbadive international pressure and by the financial cataclysm in the state accounts. Faced with this fatal combo, his reaction was intensify repression in all its forms, including the intimidation of the family of opposition leader Juan Guaidó and a mbadive offensive against foreign journalists, which left only 11 professionals arrested this week by the security services.

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If you look at the numbers, the situation is critical. Among the victims of the crackdown over the last month, there are 39 people, including many young people who were shot in the head or chest. Those arrested for taking part in marches and demonstrations against the regime are already 939, of which 755 are still locked. These data belong to the Conflict Observatory and the Venezuelan Criminal Forum, two NGOs dedicated to the defense of human rights.

The most serious is that there are 94 minors who have been subjected to pressure and abuse. Zuleima Siso, a lawyer at the Children's Freedom Forum, presented a shocking overview of the hearings. "Some children fainted, others begged to cry for their release or just to see their mother, who also suffered seeing their little one behind bars.It was very difficult, very difficult. such a situation had not occurred, "he said.

This Thursday, in an episode that surprisedThe government has sent to the Guaidó Department members of the dreaded Special Action Force (FAES), an elite police force currently engaged in the crackdown on rebel homes. In the place was his mother and daughter of 20 months, since the chief presented his economic plan with his wife, Fabiana Rosales.

The police team consisted of two motorcycles and a van without registration plates. They asked for Rosales and then left. Neighbors immediately surrounded the place to protect the family. Upon learning, Guaidó immediately went home, warning him that he was responsible to Nicolás Maduro for what had happened to his daughter.

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"Again the game of intimidation, again the little game is very bad. They will not intimidate me, "said the acting president, his daughter in the arms, after confirming that everyone was fine." They were looking for information. The goal is obvious. I say to those responsible: do not cross the red line, "he added, visibly upset by the situation.

The many foreign journalists summoned by the Venezuelan political crisis are the other side of this repression. The spectrum is wide: the most numerous are those of the Latin American media, although there are also a good number of South Europeans, Scandinavians, Russians and Asians.

But the offensive is aimed mainly at journalists belonging to the media of the countries that recognized the interim president, Juan Guaidó, president of the National Assembly (Parliament). Thus, only 11 journalists were arrested this week, including several Colombians, Chileans, Spaniards and French. Also Venezuelans, although they usually release them more quickly.

The two Chileans, Rodrigo Pérez and Gonzalo Barahona of TVN, were arrested Tuesday night near the Miraflores Palace and detained for 14 hours. After intimidating them and extracting data from mobile phones and netbooks, they were deported.

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French journalists Pierre Caillé and Baptiste des Monstiers, Daily, a popular program on the TMC television channel, was arrested the same day while filming footage at the presidential headquarters. They were imprisoned with their Venezuelan producer, Rolando Rodríguez. They spent two days behind bars until they were placed on a plane bound for Paris.

The most scandalous was the team of the Spanish agency EFE, composed of the Spanish Gonzalo Domínguez Loeda, the Colombian Mauren Barriga Vargas, the Colombian photographer Leonardo Muñoz and his Venezuelan driver José Salas. To the first two, the Bolivian intelligence services (Sebin) were waiting for them at the hotel and arrested them.

This prompted the reaction of the Spanish, French and European Union governments, whichwho asked Maduro to respect "the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms", of which "the freedom of the press is a central element".

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The lack of defense of journalists in Venezuela has spoiled the minds and led professionals to take precautions, for example by contacting one another permanently. Some foreign media even hire lawyers to act immediately on the arrests. One of the more experienced recognized to Clarin that there was "more vigilance and supervision".